KUCHING, Oct 16: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has told the Dewan Rakyat today that 4,839 hectares (ha) of land in Sarawak and Sabah are being developed for paddy cultivation.
The Deputy Prime Minister said it would involve 2,680 hectares in Batang Lupar, Sarawak and 2,159 hectares in Beluran and Kota Belud in Sabah, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported.
“The plan for a total of 50,000ha is meant to be a long-term plan, but so far, 4,839ha have been approved for development (paddy cultivation) in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said during the question-and-answer session.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) regarding the 50,000ha paddy planting project in Sabah and Sarawak.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated that there had been discussions with the Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor regarding the plan to develop the affected areas for paddy cultivation. This plan is intended to improve the country’s self-sufficiency level (SSL).
He also noted that Felcra Berhad had been tasked to develop the area into large-scale paddy estates following its success in developing more than 4,500 hectares for paddy planting in Seberang Perak, Perak.
“Felcra borrowed US$50 million from the World Bank to develop the Seberang Perak paddy estate and has repaid the loan.
“A total of 4,500 hectares has been developed, producing five metric tonnes per hectare or 22,500 metric tonnes per season,” he said, as quoted.
In response to a question from Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Mutalib (Perikatan Nasional-Maran) regarding the development of abandoned land, Ahmad Zahid stated that Felcra would also look into the potential to increase food security other than rice, such as chicken, eggs, and meat.
“There are various categories of land under Felcra, the under-utilised or even unutilised land that we are developing,” he added. — DayakDaily
